Serving God well in our anti-Christian culture can be challenging. We live in a world where many things that were once almost universally condemned are now celebrated. And Christian values like virtue, morality, and even common sense are ridiculed. Those who stand up for God’s standard can become a target themselves. But we must choose … will we fear God or fear man in the increasingly anti-Christian culture in which we live?
Today’s Readings:
Ezra 3 & 4
Psalm 86.11-17
Proverbs 21.17-18
Acts 22.1-30
Serving God in an Anti-Christian Culture
Ezra 3 & 4:
Fearing & Serving God Amid Opposition
The 70 years of Babylonian captivity were over and God had moved on the heart of a pagan king named Cyrus to allow His people to return to Jerusalem. In Chapter 3, even though the people who returned had the authority of the king behind them, there was still opposition from those already living in the land.
Verse 3 says, “… fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries …” But despite their feelings, they determined to do what was right and to worship God as Moses had instructed them to do.
The Fear of Man
With all the changes in our nation, the temptation can be huge to go along with the majority in the culture and accept what the world and even the courts in some cases say is right. There will be times on the job, with our friends, or in our families where we may feel fear—fear of being ridiculed, fear of being rejected, fear of what people will think, fear of being labeled unloving or intolerant, fear that people will think we just don’t “get it” and, in some cases, even fear of losing our jobs or our businesses. The Bible calls all those things the fear of man.
But like the people in Ezra’s day, we can do what’s right despite our feelings.
Even though there is a move to restrict our rights as believers, we still have a great deal of freedom under the laws of our land. And while Romans 13 instructs us to obey those who rule over us, even that has limitations. Anytime someone in authority asks us to sin, we have a higher authority—that is God and His Word.
Fear God Not Man
So, while we need to be respectful of authority, motivated by love for God and others, and avoid a self-righteous attitude, we shouldn’t be intimidated into silence and inaction. Instead of fearing what man can do, we are to fear God.
26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven (Matt. 10.26-33).
Fearing man goes by many names today. Names like people-pleasing, co-dependency, peer pressure, or being an approval junkie. No matter what we call it, the Bible says, “the fear of man brings a snare (Prov. 29.25a).
Fearing God
Fearing God, on the other hand, isn’t a cowering fear, but a desire to please Him. It’s caring more about what He thinks than what people think. It’s choosing to bring Him glory no matter what is popular. It is reverential respect for God and His Word. It is trusting in Him and His providential work in our lives.
Proverbs 29.25 goes on, “… whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.” And Proverb 9.10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
Fearing God and standing up for what He says is right in our anti-Christian culture isn’t the absence of fearful feelings, it’s doing what’s right and trusting Him despite them. To this, we are called. A lost and dying world needs the salt and light that only we can offer.
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 86.11-17:
Fearing God in Every Area of Life
Verse 11b says, “… unite my heart to fear Your name.” As I said above, we are to fear God and not man.
In his book Taste and See, John Piper suggests praying for God to unite our hearts to fear His name. He points out that we all have areas of our lives where we do fear and obey God and other areas where our hearts are bent on going our own way or caught up in the fear of man—hence the importance of asking God to “unite our hearts” to be single-minded on pleasing Him.
Proverbs 21.17-18:
The Love of Pleasure
Verse 17, “He who loves pleasure will be a poor man …” When we develop a taste for the best of everything, a desire for ease and entertainment, or for sensual pleasure, instead of satisfying us, it causes us to want more.
The eyes of man are never satisfied (Prov. 27.20).
A focus on pleasure, entertainment, and ease will lead to laziness and a lack of willingness to fulfill responsibilities. And when that focus is sensual pleasure, it often leads to immorality. All of them lead to poverty— material poverty, relational poverty, and, ultimately, poverty of spirit.
Acts 22.1-30:
Circumstances and God’s Sovereignty
Here in chapter 22, Paul shares a large portion of his testimony. He will share it more fully in chapter 26 when speaking before King Agrippa. He confessed his involvement in the death of Stephen, the first martyr of the church (Acts 22.20), and spoke of his zeal to destroy “the Way”—that is the church.
The Jews listened to what he had to say until he told them that God had called him to share the gospel with the Gentiles. At that, they were incensed and wanted to kill him, but God used his Roman citizenship to keep him alive. This is an example of how God uses circumstances to bring about His will.
Lord, help us to be like the Apostle Paul—willing to share the truth even with those who oppose us—but help us to do so with wisdom, gentleness, and patience.
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about loving your enemies, biblical grounds for divorce, the danger of an entitlement attitude, the importance of contentment and hard work, and the trap of worthless religion.
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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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